Sardine-can.



G. W. WEBER.

SARDINE CAN. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1907.

fizz/Mr: I ewyc 71 Vler Patented June 25, 1912.

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Wdfizwaea Wm @ZM/ COLUMBIA PLANOGRAFH cm, WASHINGTON, n. c.

inTTnD STATES PATENT onrron.

GEORGE W. WEBER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAN COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SARIDINE-CAN.

provements in closures for cans having drawn or seamless bodies with covers secured thereto wlthout soldering.

Heretofore in the practical use of sardine cans having drawn or seamless bodies, great difficulty 1s experienced 1n closlng the cover on the can with the requisite hermetic tightness by double seaming or other seaming operation without solder, owing to the fact that the drawing operation necessarily puckers and roughens the surface of the externally projecting seaming flange on the can body, especially at the rounded corners of the rectangular sardine can, and also thins and frays the tin coating on the seaming flange and materially hardens and renders brittle the tinplate of such flange so that it is difficult to interfold the body flange With the cover flange into a smooth and perfect double seam with the several folds or thicknesses of the seam in the requisite tight, smooth, close metal to metal contact for the production of a hermetically tight seam without solder. And the difficulties in producing a hermetically tight seam are further increased by the fact thatthe operation of trimming the flange on the drawn body necessary to give such flange a uniform width throughout, also invariably leaves the flange at its extreme outer edge with more or less of a bur. have heretofore been made to somewhat lessen the percentage of leaky cans by applying to the seaming flange of the cover an elastic packing or gasket of rubber, paper, rubber cement and various forms of packing dope, the extreme outer edge of the seaming flange ofthe cover being turned down slightly to form a channel to receive such packing and partially protect it from danger of being injured, scratched or peeled off in shipment and handling of the cans. And such packing compositions applied to the cover flange may have proved of some Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 29, 1907.

And attempts Patented June 25, 1912. Serial No. 381,500.

advantage in diminishing the percentage of leaky cans in cases Where such packing coatmg happens to remain intact and not too much hardened, deteriorated or changed after being manufactured, and prior to the sealing of the cans and in cases where the heat of the cooking or processing step to which the cans are subjected after being double seamed does not cause the packing composition to too much soften and flow out from between the folds of the seam, or in cases where the internal pressure generated in the can during the cooking or processing step does not force openings through the softened packing.

I have discovered and demonstrated by my experiments, and herein my invention consists that the difficulties heretofore experienced may be practically overcome and the covers hermetically seamed and secured to the bodies of drawn or seamless sardine and other cans by interposing between the seaming flanges of the body and cover a soft metal packing fusibly united to the tin coating of the seaming flange of the body, the soft metallic packing being preferably of tin, and serving to partially fill up, smooth and obliterate the drawing puckers, creases or crevices and other irregularities in the seaming flange of the body produced by the drawing operation, and serving by its soft or yielding character when forcibly compressed by the double seaming tool or roller between the folds of the seaming flanges of body and cover to effectually close all leak producing crevices between the folds of the seam. The soft metal packing is preferably applied to the seaming flange of the body by passingth-e can bodies in an inverted position over a roller revolving in a path of molten or other soft metal, such, for example, as solder.

I11 the drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical sec- 7 tion of a seamless or drawn sardine can embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a horiz0ntal section on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the drawn can body showing its seaming flange before having Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the same. Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view showing the seaming flange of the body after the soft metal packing is applied. Fig. 7 is a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail section on line 8-S of Fig. 9 showing a short length of the double seam to illustrate the function or action of the soft metal packing in effecting an hermetic closure, and F 9 is an enlarged cross section of the seam.

In the drawing, A represents a drawn or seamless can body, the same being as illustrated in the drawing, of rectangular shape with rounded corners. has at its upper or mouth end an integral horizontally projecting seaming flange a, the same having the unavoidable drawing puckers, creases or irregularities a therein, due to the drawing operation, some of which are comparatively coarse and others often very fine, but still suflicient, if not filled or closed to result in a failure in the hermetic tightness of the folded seam. The

extreme edge of the seaming flange a also has to a greater or less extent the unavoidable bur a at the extreme outer edge produced by the dies in trimming the seaming flange to give it a uniform width throughout as required after the drawing of the body A from the flat blank. Thedrawing operation also results in reducing the tin coating on the seaming flange at points to extreme tenuity and also materially hardens and renders brittle the seaming flange.

B represents the cover, the same being countersunk and having a countersunk wall 6 snugly fitting within the mouth or upper end of the can body A in tight frictional engagement therewith. The cover B also has a horizontally projecting seaming flange Z2 which is folded into a double or other seam with the seaming flange a of the body A.

C is a soft metal packing applied to the upper surface of the seaming flange a of the body and fusibly united with the tin coating thereof so that there is no chance or possibility for a leak between the packing and the body flange. The packing C .may be of any suitable soft metal that will fusibly unite with the tin coating of thebody flange a, but is preferably of tin. The soft metal packing 0 not only serves as a yielding or compressible packing between the folds of the seam but it also serves to effectually fill up, smooth out and obliterate the smaller drawing puckers, creases or irregularities produced by the drawing operation, and to materially round off the prominences and valleys of the larger puckers or irregularities in the cover. flange and to supply thereto an excess of soft metal which under the pressure of the seaming roller will enable the several seam folds of the seaming flanges of the body and cover The can body A to be brought into tight, close, metal to.

metal contact with each other, and thus produce an hermetically tight folded seam.

The soft metal packing is preferably applied and fusibly united to the seaming flange of the body by passing the bodies in an inverted position over rollers revolving in molten tin or other soft metal. The heating of the seaming flange in this soft metal coating operation also tends to materially anneal the same or reduce its hard-v ness and brittleness resulting from the drawing operation.

The seaming flange b of the cover is folded over the seaming flange a of the body and then the same are folded down snugly against the can body, thus producing a complete double seam of five walls or thicknesses, three of the interfolded walls being on the cover and two on the body.

I claim 1. A rectangular sardine can having rounded corners, and comprising a one piece seamless drawn tin plate body having an externally projecting seaming flange furnished with a solid impervious soft metal packing fusibly united to the tin plate coating thereof, said seaming flange being partially annealed or softened by the fusible application of said soft metal packing there- .to, and a countersunk tin plate cover havpacking fusibly united to said flange filling,

smoothing out and obliterating said puckers and irregularities to enable a tight joint to be formed therewith, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a seamless drawn can body having an externally projecting seaming flange furnished with a solid impervious soft metal packing fusibly united thereto, said seaming flange being partially annealed or softened by the fusible application of said soft metal packing thereto, of a cover having a seaming flange interfolded with the seaming flange of the body into a hermetically tight seam, said seaming flange of the body having the customary puckers and irregularities incident to its formation and said soft metal packing fusibly united to said flange filling, smoothing out and obliterating said puckers and irregularities to enable a tight joint to 2e formed therewith, substantially as speci- 3. In a double seam can, the combination with a body having a seaming flange furnished with a solid impervious soft metal packing fusibly united thereto, said seaming flange being partially annealed or softened by the fusible application of said soft metal packing thereto, of a cover having a seaming flange interfolded with the seaming flange of the body into a double seam, said seaming flange of the body having the customary puckers and irregularities incident to its formation and said soft metal packing fusibly united to said flange filling, smoothing out and obliterating said puckers and irregularities to enable a tight joint to be formed therewith, substantially as specified.

4. A tin plate can body having a seaming flange adapted for double seaming with a cover flange and furnished with a solid impervious soft metal packing fusibly united to the tin coating of the upper surface of said flange, said seaming flange being partially annealed or softened by the fusible application of said soft metal packing thereto, said seaming flange of the body having the customary puckers and irregularities incident to its formation and said soft metal packing fusibly united to said flange filling, smoothing out and obliterating said puckers and irregularities to enable a tight joint to lge formed therewith, substantially as speci- 5. A tin plate seamless drawn rectangular can body having rounded corners and a projecting flange adapted for double seaming with a cover flange and furnished with a solid impervious soft metal packing fusibly united to the tin coating on the upper surface of said flange, said seaming flange being partially annealed or softened by the fusible application of said soft metal packing thereto, said seaming flange of the body having the customary puckers and irregularities incident to its formation and said soft metal packing fusibly united to said flange filling, smoothing out and obliterating said puckers and irregularities to enable a tight joint to be formed therewith, substantially as specified.

GEORGE WV. WEBER. Witnesses:

EDMUND ADOOOK, PEARL ABRAMS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

